Jakarta, IO – The diversity of identities, from ethnicity, culture to culinary delights, makes Indonesia an interesting country.
One of the indigenous tribes is the Suku Anak Dalam who inhabit the interior of Sumatra Island. They are also known by other names: Kubu Tribe, Orang Rimba or Orang Ulu, per Kompas, Thu (8/2).
In oral tradition, the origin of Suku Anak Dalam’s ancestors came from Maalau Sesat, people who fled to the jungle in Air Hitam, Bukit Dua Belas National Park (TNBD) in Jambi. They were later called Moyang Segayo.
Suku Anak Dalam is also known as primitive tribe because some of them still stick to old traditions, even though some of them have been exposed to the modern world. They still adopt the nomadic lifestyle in the wilderness.
Many of them still wear loincloths and tank top or sarong to cover their decency. Even though some groups have started wearing trousers and even shirts, some are still roaming around half-naked.
They also have customary rules and norms that are still well preserved. One of these traditions is Melangun. Tradition also dictated that Suku Anak Dalam Tribe move from their dwelling to overcome sadness when their family or relatives die.
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The melangun procession begins when they cover the body with a cloth and lay it in a hut called pasoron. The tribesmen then wailed and threw their bodies to the ground for a week, in the hope that the spirit of the lost one would return to the body.
They would move around for several years until the feeling of sadness disappeared, before they return to their original place. (un)